Phuket landfill resumes waste acceptance after access road cleared

Phuket City Municipality resumed accepting waste at the provincial landfill on 12 November after clearing rubbish that had been dumped on the access road and blocked vehicles from entering.

The municipality had suspended waste acceptance indefinitely from 8 November after several waste collection trucks reportedly dumped rubbish on the road rather than wait for access to the facility. It warned that drivers and contractors who use unauthorised disposal sites or obstruct landfill operations could face legal action, and that further temporary suspensions could be imposed if violations continue.

The resumption was confirmed at a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall chaired by Governor Chotinarin Kerdsom to address the island’s wider waste-management problems. Phuket City Mayor Suppachoke Laongphet said accumulated rubbish at the landfill had been a longstanding issue, largely driven by rising waste volumes since COVID-19 restrictions ended.

The mayor also said a project to improve the waste-disposal system and landfill storage areas had been delayed by more than a year. The delays involved legal requirements, complaints, appeals and lawsuits, as well as machinery limitations and rainy-season conditions.

The governor outlined measures covering regulatory procedures, traffic management at the disposal centre, environmental monitoring, waste separation and coordination between local authorities. Phuket City Municipality was instructed to review regulatory and procurement obstacles delaying landfill improvements and organise vehicle movements to prevent further blockages.

The Phuket Provincial Natural Resources and Environment Office was tasked with providing technical advice on waste management and sanitary landfilling, and with coordinating investigations into potential health and environmental impacts. Officials were also instructed to prepare maps and preventive measures to stop leachate from reaching the sea.

The governor called on all 19 local administrative organisations to introduce practical waste-separation measures for households, hotels, restaurants and other businesses. Waste should be separated into general, organic and recyclable categories, while excess moisture should be removed to improve incineration efficiency and reduce odours and disease-carrying pests.

Mayor Suppachoke said Phuket City Municipality was constructing a second incinerator with a capacity of 500 tonnes per day. Together with the existing 700-tonne-per-day facility, the plants would provide total incineration capacity of 1,200 tonnes per day once the new incinerator is operational.

Other plans include converting organic waste into soil-improvement materials, shredding branches and other vegetation, and improving roads inside the disposal centre. The longer-term aim is to process rubbish accumulated in landfill areas and reduce the remaining stockpile to zero.